The 9th meeting of the Azerbaijani – Austrian Joint Commission for Economic, Agricultural, Industrial, Technical and Technological Cooperation was held in Vienna.

The meeting was co-chaired by Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramin Guluzade and Deputy Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs of the Republic of Austria Mathias Chirf.

The meeting discussed the current economic situation, bilateral economic relations, mutual attraction of investments, as well as cooperation in the spheres of digital technologies, including environmental technologies, energy efficiency, agriculture, finance, standardization, youth and other areas.

Speaking at meeting, the Minister Ramin Guluzade noted that relations between Azerbaijan and Austria are developing dynamically.

He said that mutual visits of heads of state and other officials play an important role in the formation of friendly relations between the two countries.

The Minister stated that as a result of this cooperation, Azerbaijan and Austria has become reliable partners.

It was noted that despite last year's growth in the volume of bilateral trade turnover, the current turnover does not meet the economic potential of the two states.

Austrian companies participating in the meeting showed interest in expanding their activities in Azerbaijan, and it was decided to organize a business forum in May this year in Baku with the participation of private sector representatives from both countries.

During the meeting, high-level representatives of the Ministries of Economy, Foreign Affairs, Youth and Sports, Agriculture and Energy of Azerbaijan spoke on sectoral issues.

Also, within the framework of the meeting, a special presentation was held in connection with the nomination of Baku as a candidate city to host the “World Expo 2025” exhibition.

Towards the end of the meeting, a protocol on the expansion of cooperation in various areas of the economy was signed.

According to the document, relations between the two countries will be established based on the fundamental norms and provisions of international law, including respect for the principles of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, on the basis of which physical persons and legal entities will carry out their activities.

At the request of the Azerbaijani side, the protocol also stipulated that the Austrian travel companies would not organize illegal trips to the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia.